I want to buy an elliptical - please advise

[Anonymous]

I’ve determined that elliptical machines are my preferred mode of exercise at my gym. I’d like to buy one for my home and cancel my gym membership. I love the machine at my gym (Life Fitness brand) and have not liked other gym ellipticals nearly as much over the years. They are not all created equal.

A few questions:

Where do I begin my search?
Is it ok to use it in an upstairs bedroom?
Recommended brands?
Would I be gambling buying a used machine?

Thank you for any information you can share.

[Anonymous]

I did some online research before we bought our elliptical over 5 years ago - read reviews and some comparison articles.

I always preferred Precors at the gym, but the pricing on the models we wanted (arms that move) was above our budget. We ended up getting a Sole and it’s been great. It doesn’t have a fancy screen (maybe the new ones do?) but we prioritized a long stride, solid/gym quality build, shorter machine length (we have a relatively small space for the machine), and reasonable price. Sole fit the bill. We bought new directly from Sole online. Pricing was similar from Dick’s. DH and I both use it almost everyday and have since we got it. We love it.

[Anonymous]

Verify you have sufficient headroom.

[Anonymous]

What model SOLE do you own? That’s a good place to start.

[Anonymous]

op, did you buy one yet? Life fitness has a bunch on sale now…

[Anonymous]

We personally always buy used exercise equipment because you can often get it so cheaply - people move and don't take it with them, or switch exercise routines, etc. I wouldn't pay more than 10-20 percent of the new price.
I would pick a brand you like and set up an alert on Craigslist or FB marketplace.

[Anonymous]

We had a Sole elliptical that served us well before we moved on to Peloton. Great piece of equipment--the one we had was a little bulky (bought in 2009), but maybe they've streamlined them a bit now.

[Anonymous]

I used to stick to ellipticals at the gym too and we bought one for our house
Definitely make sure you have enough head room, because of low ceilings in areas of our basement there was only one spot we could have the elliptical.

Have you considered a Peloton Bike? I love mine and I get a better work out than I ever did with an elliptical, we eventually gave away the elliptical

[Anonymous]

I've had a PreCor since 2006 and used at least 1-2 times a week to supplement lifting, sprints, etc.

Yes, as others have noted, check the headspace.

And unless you are really handy, see if they have a crew that will assemble it for you. AND disassemble it and move it to another part of the house. We bought ours from Lifetime Fitness, I think and 10 years later for $175 they sent people over to take it apart and move it from an upstairs bedroom to the basement. Totally worth it. I think they replaced the roller things too to give it extra life.